06/08/2018 - Ard Rock 2018

Ard Rock

2018

Highlights of an awesome Ard Rock 2018

Will and Rich, our mechanic and marketing man, raced the Intro race on the Sunday morning. The Intro takes in stages 4, 5, 6 and 7. Here's how it went downÖ

After an already hectic weekend including over 1500m climbing on the demo loop alone and our bodyweight in beer on the Saturday night, we braved the Intro round on the Sunday morning. Thinking the best way to shake the pounding in our heads was to pedal a bike in the sun with your pal. Just like everything else with the event, the registration, route finding and marshalling was a breeze which made up for the fact that the stages and transitions were as tough as old boots. All of the stages started with a sprint then got steeper and faster, so we decided that Will would go ahead and I (Rich) would follow and try to keep up! I could heckle on the pedally bits and then Will could tow me along when it got fast. This seemed like the best plan and long story short, it worked! Every stage was 100% blind - we hadnít even ridden them last year so we were completely wet behind the ears, (though that was probably sweat). We only caught up a couple of people. Will drank from a stream and didnít die of dysentery. I cleaned the steepest hill up Iíve ever ridden - had steps cut in and everything. We spent the day with Jack from Hunt wheels who was awesome company & one of the soundest guys youíre likely to meet. We had a much needed coffee and flapjack from Boost Coffee Co who were parked at the bottom of stage 5. There were zero crashes but many close calls. Contrary to suggestion, you most definitely CANíT pull up off every lip on stage 6. Flat pedals win medals and it turns out, youíd be faster on a hardtail: Will won.

The rest of the weekend was just as enjoyable - so many friends, many demo laps on our phenomenal bikes, so much lovely beer from Abbeydale Brewery, sun, smiles, the Foo Fighters tribute was rowdy, the food was unbelievable, the mood was high and as John Fife said, we had the needle bending on the stoke-o-meter! Ard Rock is without a doubt the bike festival that sets the bar (very high). Thanks to everyone who made it possible and so much fun. See you next year for sure.

The owner's ride out was a great success. A great bunch of people out riding with the Cotic crew, including our team rider Chay and ambassador Dave and Downtime Podcast Chris. Lovely to get out riding with so many Cotics out on the hill, beautiful light and good vibes.

After squeezing in an entry to the Intro race last year and breaking his racing retirement, Cotic's Paul was eager to race again this year. This year he entered the Sprint race which takes in the stages that the Intro doesn't, so now he's done them all! He absolutely loved it and got a great result. No doubt he'll be racing again next year.

The fastest girl around Mel Fife did it again. What a race! She's on the top spot yet again, proving that you really are faster on a Rocket. Huge congrats to her, we're so pleased for her.

Thanks again to the organisers, marshalls, demo riders, Cotic owners, ambassadors and people that came over to say hi at the stand. What a great weekend, we enjoyed every second. See you at Ard Rock 2019.

01/08/2018 - Badgers And Backroads

Badgers and Backroads

Escapde owner Chris takes his bike to Scotland and rides the Badger Divide with his friend Tom

The Badger Divide is a 200 mile route from Inverness to Glasgow, following well established paths, trails and gravel roads, with a minimal amount of tarmac.
Apparently, (over-)enthusiatic riders may wish to attempt the ride in two days or less. Tom and I approached it with a much gentler attitude, took our time, and stayed at a few hostels on the way to Lochearnhead, at which point we gave Glasgow the swerve, and headed east to Tomís house at the foot of the OchilsÖ

Day 1 - Masters of Endurance and Exertion (at least thatís what the sign said)

Up from Inverness, through sunshine yellow gorse bushes we wound our way, legs feeling suddenly apprehensive! We undulated along the ridge, a gently snaking ribbon of single track taking us through the trees and open moorland. A little path promised a cafť and cake. Lots of cake. And probably more coffee than was wise.

Rolling through the woods again, an absolute hoot of a descent brought us to Drumnadrochit. Here we paid the price for that downhill, as we encountered one of the most profanely named sections of the route. At this point, the heavens opened, so condensing our suffering into the same timeframe. At the top, the sun reappeared, and we celebrated with a wee dram. Another stretch of trail followed, but after this, we decided time was against us and weíd forego the remaining off-road section in favour of a quick spin along the main road. Our ride didnít feel any the worse for the detour, with Loch Ness illuminated by golden evening light.

We reached our hostel as the light faded, along with all food service in Fort Augustus, so we consoled ourselves with a couple of beers before some rather the worse for wear pork pies and a late night mapping session.

Day 2 Ė How to feel small and insignificant

A couple of breakfast rolls from the local butcher were washed down with large teas, and we set off. And up. And up, and up, and up. The gentle start to today was to be the Corrieyairack Pass, General Wade's military road. Almost the site of a major battle, the Scottish forces camped at the top, forcing the approaching Government commander to retreat, his senior officers telling him to ďLeave it, theyíre not worth it! Letís go and get a kebabÖĒ

Up we went, over gravel and rocks, through fords, up, up, upÖ It got steeper. Rougher. Colder and windier. I found myself alternating between grovelling at the pedals, resting, and shouting motivation at myself. We reached a cloud-shrouded summit, and relished the prospect of a well-earned downhill. But Bloominí Nora! This descent needed to be worked for too! Rocks the size of jacket potatoes, vertiginous drainage bars, wheel-swallowing ruts, and even having to pedal downhill against the wind (a meteorological affront)! Eventually the rocks subsided, and we tackled the remaining drainage bars to reach Melgarve Bothy. Bothies can be lifesavers, and while it would be melodramatic to say this was one of those times, a moment of shelter and the opportunity to dry out in front of a fire was a godsend. Hot coffees were slurped, couscous was wolfed down. A toast raised to the conquerors of the pass!

Renewed, reinvigorated, and distinctly drier and warmer, we set off on a smoother road, startling a herd of red deer. Further on, we repeated the trick on some fallow deer, before continuing on our way to Loch Laggan. After this, the path turned upwards again, and we slogged into a brutal headwind past Lochan na Hearba. From here on in, the wind would not abate. Through woods and into Strath Ossian. The hills here among the biggest of the trip, their summits towering half a kilometre above us. This section was humbling stuff, a reminder that this is big country and you really canít take it for granted.
Corrour shooting lodge (almost certainly a Bond villainís lair) appeared, and the end was in reach. Mist covered Loch Ossian, but slowly shapes became distinct; trees, a hut, the hostel! We must have looked like death when we arrived. We checked in, gave up on any ideas of dressing for dinner, and scooted up to Corrour Station for our dinner. The last mile was covered at a much more sprightly and happy pace in the knowledge that warmth and beer awaited. The first one barely touched the sides, and we wolfed down immense portions of local venison before heading back to the youth hostel. Hot showers, dry clothes, and a nightcap ensured a good nightís sleep, despite the snores of one of our fellow sleepers.

Day 3 Ė Twice with chips

A gentle start to the morning; Tom fixed porridge, I brewed coffee and we enjoyed the stillness of the loch. Bikes were repacked, and we headed upwards again, into the low cloud. Eventually, the track levelled out a bit, and as it headed downwards, the sun threatened to break through. A brief spin along the road to Bridge of Gaur, then off-road again, across the moors and into Rannoch Forest where we paused for lunch (more couscous), and rehydration (more whisky).

We continued south along the old Kirk Road, which turned into yet another grinning-from-ear-to-ear descent, only interrupted when we stopped to chat to another biker heading north, and asked where he was headed. ďCape Wrath!Ē came the reply. Blimey.
This brought us to Glen Lyon, which proclaims itself the longest, loneliest and loveliest glen in Scotland. Iíve not visited enough glens to confirm the superlatives, but itís surely up there. Having seen the hills to our south, I harboured a certain degree of apprehension as to our route to dinner, but as we gradually made our way to the head of the glen, we gained enough altitude to make the final ascent rather better than Iíd anticipated.

Down the other side, and along the road into Killin. Here, we tucked into fresh fish and chips, served from a somewhat dilapidated caravan; top chips nonetheless. From here, over the picture postcard Falls of Dochart and up the last ascent of the day, a strenuous yet satisfying wooded single track, before fire road and then dismantled railway dropped us down into Lochearnhead.

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Day 4 Ė Badgers and back roads

This was the morning we bid farewell to the Badger Divide, opting instead to head east towards Chez Tom. But first, breakfast! The bunkhouse hobs were covered with frying pans, filled with bacon, sausages, and Lorne slice. Heaven. Except this sumptuous spread belonged to the other guests, and we were on porridge again. Balls.

Back on the road, and a gently undulating road along the south side of Loch Earn. Beautiful woodland gave way to myriad campers, making the most of Scotlandís open approach to land access, followed by a ďleisure parkĒ, chock-full of static caravans. After so long in the wild, this stuck in my throat rather, but each to their own I guessÖ Second breakfast was sourced at St Fillanís cafť, bacon rolls making up for our earlier torture at the bunkhouse.
We meandered down the River Earn, then back onto tarmac for the last stretch of flat before the final push over the Ochils. We found ourselves headed up a delightful little wooded glen and out onto the open moors. Here, the path disappeared and we pushed over the ridgeline, direction finding reduced to educated guessing. Eventually a path materialised, then a gate, and then a rather entertaining slither down the hill and nearly through a gorse bush. The final turn took us onto a familiar trail, where we hit all the kickers, hopped rocks and a dead sheep, and rolled into Tomís driveway, exhilarated, happy and spent.

23/07/2018 - Cotic Weekend Adventures

Weekend Catch Up

This weekend saw Chay's first coaching venture, Sam demoing on the dry dusty singletrack in Peaslake, Swinny being Rocketman in Le Thuile and Will Easey in 2nd place...

Last week Chay called explaining how he'd like to organise a women's coaching event. After doing bits of coaching with his girlfriend, Hannah and coaching Cotic's Hannah around the Ard Rock Enduro course last year we jumped at this opportunity to get women riders coached by Chay and out on the local trails learning different skills and techniques.

15 riders turned up, we were thrilled with the response we got for the event with so many riders interested that we had to limit the numbers! It was great to see so many women getting involved and out on the trails. Chay went through different skills including body position, track stands, berms, pumping, line choice, bike maintenance and always looking ahead!

It was so much fun, cheering each other on down the trails, watching other riders, asking questions, sessioning parts of the trail and chatting to other women riders. Huge thanks to Chay and his glamorous assistant Lee for all their time and help, it really was such a good day out.

This weekend was also a busy one for Demo man, Sam who took the demo tour to the ever popular Peaslake, Surrey. The demo saw riders new to Cotic and current owners interested in trying out the new bikes. The trails were running dusty and fast, making for some great action shots and some wide smiles.

Congrats to Will Easey for placing 2nd at Tideworth racing this weekend!

20/07/2018 - Kelly's Bikepacking Adventure

Bikepacking

Our ambassador Kelly has been exploring Scotland, ticks, midges and all. She left her Rocket at home and took the Escapade instead. She tells us about it here.

When asked if I was free to join a bikepacking trip in Scotland with Komoot and Cyclist mag, I practically jumped at the opportunity. Having got the taste for bike packing earlier in the year I was super keen to head out again on another adventure. This time with actual camping on the agenda, so no fancy air B&B for me. Fiola had planned our ride on Komoot which was a gravel ride, so the kind folk at Cotic loaned me their adventure bike for the trip, the Escapade, which has drop bars (YIKESSSS). Tyres wise I ran WTB resolute- they are cracking tyres and WTB arenít wrong when they call them their Ďset-it-and-forget-it tire that keeps on keepiní on Ď. My trusted and tested WTB womenís Koda pro saddle and Burgtec flat pedals. I didnít fancy clipping in with all the weight Iíd have on the bike (visions of me falling down some mountain side bike and bags attached, no thanks).

Bike setup sorted, now for packing. Iíd asked my good friends Hannah and Nicole for advice on what I should take as theyíve both been on far greater bikepacking missions than me, and itís also good to get others tips incase youíve forgotten something super important, like underwear (thanks Hannah).

I have my brilliant Polaris bags to load up with all my kit, with an extra edition to the bag squad from Cotic, their new waterproof frame bag. So bike and bags sorted, all thatís next was the camping essentials. I have a small, very lightweight Outdoor Gear ďbackpacker 1í tent, weighing in a just 1.3kg and also a super lightweight Forclaz sleeping bag that packs up super small and is 985g along with a Forclaz air matt weighing 500g. All of these I took out of their original bags and distributed them between my handlebar bag and seat post bag. Polarisís handlebar bag is waterproof, so I put my sleeping bag, down jacket and spare clothing in there and the tent got stuffed into the seat post bag.

Then everything else including the kitchen sinkÖ I compiled a list:

Stove

Mytimug

Gas

Lighter

Food-dehydrated meals (firepot outdoor food)

Water bottles x4

Cutlery

Torch

Warm jacket

Change of socks

Leggings

First aid kit

SMIDGE

All the bike tools

Spare tubes JIC

Riding snacks

Spare Polaris straps

Battery pack and cable

Toiletries (Lush soap bars for the win)

Money

Oh and UNDERWEAR

All of this I squeezed into the seat post bag and my frame bag. As I mentioned before, Cotic have a new frame bag, and itís flippiní good. Due to it being waterproof, spacious and easily accessible I put all my electrical items, some snacks and my waterproof in this bag.

Now that took a lot of effort to figure out with plenty of unpacking and packing, juggling and umming and ahhing about what I ACTUALLY needed to take, like hair curlers- there just wasnít the space.

All packed up I headed out for a nice drive up to Fort Augustus to meet the other riders, Fiola, George and Joe. Once we all arrived we sat and looked at the tour that was planned on Komoot and got a good nights kip before our adventure began.

We woke up to classic Scottish weather, rain. Had breakfast, grabbed our bikes, admired the Fort Augustus canal locks and then we were off! GRAVEL RIDING? what exactly is that then? I certainly felt like I had the right bike for the job, but after a good million miles of canal path and road I canít remember meeting the gravel.

Scottish highlands are unpredictable and super harsh at times, so the first days riding took us all along some amazing lakes and then up a few incredible mountains.

Mountain paths that were unrideable and nearly unwalkable at times, lugging my bike up them with bags in tow was a struggle to say the least, but the sweet feeling of success when I reached the summit made the pain train super worth it!

On the descents the bags all remained very much attached to my bike as I hung on for dear life on the drops riding down the rockiest Ďgravel pathsí Iíd ever seen!

After a good 80k we arrived in a beautiful hamlet called Arnisdale, all pretty tired and hungry we set up camp for the night.

This was my favourite bit of the trip. Iíd packed THE best food and was cosy and content in my dry clothes. Tent up and fire lit we sat and enjoyed the sunset over the Isle of Skye before rolling into our tents for some much needed rest.

The best nights sleep followed by a lovely coffee and bowl of porridge on the beach to set me up for the day, which luckily was a dry one!

We made our way out of Arnisdale and stopped in a village called Glenelg to grab some more snacks, fill up our water bottles and look at the days route.

Sometimes it doesnít matter how much you plan for a trip, some things just donít work out! After the mega first day riding, we came to the realisation that we were going to be struggling for time to get back to Fort Augustus on these Ďgravel pathsí. Fortuntely Komoot makes it super easy to re-route a trip, so thatís what we did. This meant however A LOT of road to cover.

I donít have much to say about this part of the tripÖbut what I will say is, forget the views and Ďtrainingí I am not a road rider and I never will be. Singing ĎWalking In Memphisí and ĎFall At Your Feetí at the back of the pack was keeping me going and then some ĎTubthumping (I get knocked down)í ft Fiola was also a distraction from the dismay. (I only cried once). During our Scottish A-roads tour we stopped off at a nice pub, the Cluanie Inn where we enjoyed a coffee and some cake and then removing over 20+ ticks from mine and Fiolaís bodies. Already struggling on the roads the last thing I needed was some new pals trying to hitch a ride.

AHEM, after an interesting I donít knowÖ80k? We finally made it to some GRAVEL ROADS, so the last 12k of our ride was pretty nice, up and through some forests with lovely views down the valley.

We arrived back in Fort Augustus and treated ourselves to a bag of chips and a cold beverage on the edge of the locks. Although not the one we had planned, what a trip, Iím going to be busy plotting my highlights on Komoot for a while! And may I add, zero flats and zero mechanicals aboard the Escapade, what a bike. Due to the ticks I spent the last night in my car, luckily itís an estate.

20/07/2018 - Surviving Mega

Surviving Mega

The Megavalanche was never even on my radar but with Wes & Will peer-pressuring us into it, we couldn't really say no. Swept along in the tidal wave of stoke and craziness, we found ourselves part of the daftest bike race in the history of daft bike races. A mass start DH from 3300M down to 700m in the valley floor, with hundreds of worryingly like-minded cyclists. The video gives a good idea of what we got up to in the few days we were there. I can say with 100% conviction that it was worth the effort. Seriously one of the best events I've ever been a part of - it went from 'not even on the list to 'right at the top'. Get it booked and you'll see what makes it all so special. Baybutt

What an experience, easily the most ridiculous thing I've ever done, mega was a brilliant mixture of type A and type B fun. I'm no racer by any stretch of the imagination, but I managed to qualify for the Challenger race, which is the second fastest group and this felt like a pretty big achievement in itself. The snow in the main race was utter carnage and I was pretty happy when I reached the end of it and my tyres hit dirt and rock. From then on it was great, I got overtaken a lot, but also had a few good overtakes myself including an inside in the woods that felt awesome! My only aims were to survive, not come last and enjoy it. Nailed all three so that's a win in my eyes. After crossing the line I thought that's it, survived and enjoyed, not doing that again. However, after a couple of days to process all the madness I can't help think I'll be back again one day for another go. Sam

16/07/2018 - A bike that friends built

Downtime's ride

Our new ambassador Chris Hall, creator of the awesome Downtime podcast, has finally got himself a Cotic and "stoked" would be an understatement. Here's his story and some details of his mega-build.

Ok, Iím British, and Iím nearly 40, so sticking with the stereotype, Iím suspicious of change! I guess thatís why Iíve not had a 29er until now. My first, and only previous experience was on a Specialized 29er hardtail hire bike, on a short ride during a trip to Australia. Plastic pedals and regular trainers meant that staying on it was pretty much the only thing on my mind!

So it wasnít really until my recent podcast with Cy (www.downtimepodcast.com/cy-turner/) that I started to wonder about giving one of these new fangled 29ers a go. So a few weeks later, I arranged to got for a ride with Cy on their demo Flare MAX, fitted with 29er wheels.

Immediately, sitting stationary on the bike, things felt very different. The front wheel looked huge, and a long way away... but we got the suspension dialled in, and headed for the hills. Once I was moving along, it felt much more like a bike, and not that strange at all. By the time we had done 30 minutes of climbing, and got to the first downhill section, I was feeling pretty at home. So much so that I mashed on the pedals and hit the first proper section of the ride at warp speed, launched into some rocks, and immediately got caught out by a little less rebound damping than Iím used to, and blew a foot off the pedals (I ride flats). All was well though, and with an extra click of high speed rebound damping, we headed on to Jumbles Road. This trail is fast, full of loose fist sized rocks, and itís going to hurt if you come off, to put it simply, itís not my kind of trail. However, the Flare MAX took it all in itís stride, and felt stable, planted and controlled. Itís the closest Iíve ever managed to stay to Cy down that trail, and Iím sure the fastest Iíve ever ridden it, but it felt 100% safe and in control.

We finished up the ride with a descent down a very wet and water damaged trail called Devilís Elbow. Itís a little steeper in places, with lots of line choice and plenty of slippery rocks and roots to catch you out. Definitely more technical than Jumbles Road, and requires a good eye for the right line along with a good dose of riding skill. Cy is insanely quick on this trail, and staying anywhere near him was not happening. So that left me and the Flare MAX for some quality time together. The bigger wheels made rolling over the rough stuff a bit easier, and the relatively slack head angle and long front centre meant that you never felt like you were going to go out the front door. Iím fairly sure the bike let me get away with a couple of moments that I wouldnít normally have survived, so by the time I got to the bottom, I had a big grin on my face and was working out how I could build myself one.

Thanks to some amazing people, Iíve managed to put together a really special build. So I owe a massive thank you to Cy for the frame, groupset and post, We Are One Composites for some very special carbon wheels, Jordi at Fox for the shock and forks, Hope for the brakes, headset and seat clamp, Burgtec for bars, stem and pedal, Mudhugger for a nice matching mudguard, WTB for the saddle, Maxxis for the tyres, and Ard from Kogel for a pretty special ceramic bottom bracket and Jockey wheels. I am a very lucky boy!

So Iíve had the bike a couple of weeks now, and a lot of you have been asking how Iím getting on with it. Letís just say, Iím very happy! To start out with Iíve kept set up simple. Iíve dialled in sag, and put the high speed rebound settings at the point Fox recommends for those pressures. Low speed compression is currently set in the middle of the range. Iíve also added an extra token into the fork (standard is 3, I have 4) as I like the fork to ramp up a fair bit. With so many changes from my last bike (wheel size, travel, geometry etc), I wanted to get used to all of that first before I really start to do any significant tuning.

First impressions are great, considering the amount of changes Iím working with, I already feel very comfortable on the bike. The effect of the longer bikes for me makes me feel like I am Ďiní the bike, rather than Ďoní the bike, if that makes sense! I feel like I am more at one with it, and the length seems to naturally put my weight very centrally over the wheelbase, giving a good balanced ride and predictable grip. The ride feels lively, but composed, and I have to say that I havenít yet found any downsides of the modern take on geometry. The larger wheels means that the bike picks up speed like nothing Iíve ever ridden, making easy work of rough bumpy straights, and it really doesnít feel like it only has 120/130mm travel. Iíd say it feels similar in travel to my Transition Patrol at 155mm when youíre pushing on, but more sprightly and light at the same time, as youíd expect from a shorter travel trail bike - a real grin inducing ride. The flip side of that is that you can end up hitting some really rough stuff very fast, and then you donít quite have that ability to get away with things as much as you can on a longer trail bike, but Iíll take that for the increased pop and feel over 95% of the terrain that I ride.

It feels like there is way more grip, which makes sense with the larger wheels. Cornering is definitely one of the main areas where I feel the difference in wheel size, and itís going to take some getting used to. Iím still trying to learn to trust the level of grip that it has, and Iím sure there is a lot more speed to come as I work that out.
Once I feel like Iím getting to grips with the bike, then Iíll have a go at some suspension tuning to see if there is some more performance available there. Iím keen to have a go with a Quark Shockwiz as Iíve heard good things about them, but also to follow the bracketing approach that I discussed with Jordi from Fox back in episode 7 of the podcast www.downtimepodcast.com/jordi-cortes/. It already feels great, but you never know what you might find if you take a bit of time out to do some set up work!
So, would I recommend a Flare MAX? The easy and short answer is YES. If youíre looking for something thatís fun to ride, playful and lively on the trails, but able to keep pace with a 160mm travel enduro bike on all but the roughest of trails, then look no further. Itís also a beast on technical climbs, allowing me to get up trails that Iíve never cleaned before, finding grip where it doesnít feel like it should be possible. If youíre reading this then youíve probably already decided that you donít need the weight weeny savings that you could find with a carbon bike (weight can be useful, check out episode 22 with Jack Reading www.downtimepodcast.com/jack-reading/), so you may well be trying to choose between the Flare MAX and a Rocket or Rocket MAX. If you want to race enduro, and need to be able to hit super rough terrain at max speed, then a Rocket or Rocket MAX is the bike for you. However, if youíre willing to accept that over the really rough stuff you wonít be at race pace (youíre still not going to be slow!), and riding for you is more focussed on having a great time in the hills with your mates, then the Flare MAX is the one for you. Seemingly effortless speed, confidence inspiring geometry, and a lively, playful ride. It works for me, and I canít wait to spend more time on this amazing bike!

If youíve got any questions about the bike or any of the components that Iíve chosen, then feel free to drop me a message on Instagram or Facebook, Iím @downtimepodcast on both. Or drop me an email to chris@downtimepodcast.com.

15/07/2018 - Tricky Moore FOD DH

BFe podium!

Rich Moore AKA Tricky has made it onto the podium again, racing his BFe at the Forest of Dean DH Summer Series Round 3. A short but rough trail so huge congrats to Tricky, we're looking forward to the next one!